There was not even a hint of a breeze. With sails furled, the corbita lay motionless under the blazing sun. It was noon. The sailors were napping in the hold, and so were Pristinella’s parents, her brother, and their household guards. She and Rosa were the only ones on deck. “Father is such a softie,” Pristinella scowled. “Any serious man would have set some watchmen on deck to scout the seas. Who knows what might be comi...

During the rest of the summer, I treated the idea of having a threesome as a mere fantasy, not as something that might actually happen someday. I didn’t have Adrienne’s contact information, so there was little chance of us ever meeting again. Whenever I thought of her, it was solely to get myself aroused for going at it with my boyfriend. Unfortunately, our sex life dumbed down a bit after that Sunday morning in the car....

So far, I’ve spent only one year of my life outside of Italy: I had a French boyfriend at the time and lived with him in a city near Paris. Workwise, it was ideal: the company that employs me has a Paris branch. Relationship-wise, well, that’s what I’m here to talk about, isn’t it? One particular Sunday morning, we had done our groceries at the Carrefour, and as we were walking back to my boyfriend’s car, our relationship...